


An Unexpected Acquaintance

by Adski



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 18:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7475766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adski/pseuds/Adski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Plagued by her past and worrying for the future of those around her, an old soldier makes a new friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unexpected Acquaintance

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time writing anything here. It may be a bit rough around the edges, but regardless, I hope you enjoy it. Feedback is much appreciated.  
> Also, I apologise if you get lost in my ramblings. I wouldn't blame you if you got lost a couple of times in the story, I tend to do that when I talk as well. The idea of the voice modulator for Ganymede came from a tumblr account you can find here, if you're interested. http://robotfamiliar.tumblr.com/ They're very funny, awesome at RPing and it's always a pleasure to see them post. (Also, don't tell them I sent you.)  
> Anyway, thanks for reading and have a nice day!

Silence filled the humid, sandy air around her as she closed her eye and took a deep breath, cradling her sniper rifle in her arms. She sat cross-legged, leaning back, watching over the courtyard below the archway she had taken residence upon. The two colossal sphinx statues behind her, towering over either side of the archway, remained a prominent image in her mind. She exhaled as she heard the plethora of footsteps emanating from her team-mates as they departed the dropship about half a click 6 o'clock of her position. The voices of the crew members echoed below her in a variety of accents, tones and sounds. Chirpy cheers regarding the arrival of the cavalry, indistinct growls as to a particular man's age followed by a sprint of ecstatic sandy stomps charging towards the archway, a booming voice broadcasting the importance of working together accompanied by loud metallic stomps, and a harmony of chirps, beeps and mechanical whirrs she knew all too well.

The aged sniper, donning a grey cloak of tattered cloth, weathered black plate-armour housing the all too familiar faded circular logo, and a rather cumbersome darkened ballistics fibre jumpsuit, took hold of her sniper rifle, hunched forward, opened her one good eye and aimed forwards, towards the shaded sandstone fountain ahead. Handicapped by both her eye-patch and the narrow field of view provided by the scope, her periphery remained more limited than she would have liked. Though she trusted her comrades to keep a watchful eye on her so as to remedy the issue.

As her eye darted in every direction, never quite focusing on anything in particular, an indistinguishable purple blob manifested itself on the other end of the scope, catching her attention. Focusing on the shape brought about a clearer picture. The picture of a figure. A figure she hadn't seen in a very long time. Nor had she hoped to. The figure, tall in stature with emphasised curvaceous bodily features and a long, flowing, navy blue ponytail hanging down their back, paced slowly forwards, moving to the left of the scope's line of sight. The sniper's face turned from a blank expression to a look of pure horror. Her eye widened as her jaw dropped like an anvil. The figure noticed a blue laser dancing around her exposed chest, almost perfectly concealed by the blue shade of her skin. Almost. As she followed the laser up and across to it's point of origin, she readied her rifle, switching from assault to sniper mode in an unnecessarily elongated heartbeat. The figure brought the scope up closer to their face, aiming perfectly at her remaining good eye. The two locked on to each other, expressions changing subtly over time. The moment felt like an eternity, though it lasted a mere five seconds. The elder clenched her teeth, priming her finger on the trigger, as the blue figure on the other end of the scope stood perfectly still, as if refusing to breathe. The memories, almost too painful to relive, flashed before her eyes as two worlds collided. The past and the present lined up perfectly with each other in this single heart-wrenching moment. This time, she could finish her job. This time, she could complete her mission. This time... She could take the shot. A million and one different scenarios ran through her head as she watched the pale blue face lower their sniper rifle and display a smirk copied and pasted exactly from her memory. The figure on the other end held the smirk as they nodded their head gently forward and zipped off to the side, yanked away by their arm-mounted grapple. She let out a sigh of relief as she regained awareness of the world around her.

Returning her gaze to the fountain around which her crew-mates had congregated, she led herself to believe that perhaps it would be best to focus all attention on the mission, rather than petty rivalries from the past. Preventing her from finishing her thought, the sound of flapping wings and rustling feathers became the only sound the sniper could hear before a mixture of yellow and white feathers perched themselves upon the barrel of the sniper rifle. "GAHH!" She exclaimed. "Oh, I am sorry, little creature. You caught me off guard. A habit my fellow man does not often possess." *I understa~* "GAHH!" The sniper jumped, now standing upright, almost falling backwards off the archway. "Y~ You.." The sniper struggled to articulate words into sentences. *Yes?* The voice replied. "You can talk..?" *Yes.* The voice retorted in a tone most pleased with itself. "But..." The sniper trailed, struggling to comprehend the situation. *Yes?* "But you're a bird." *Yes.* The voice replied, almost bored of the conversation already. "Am I~.." *Yes..?* "Am I going insane? Given recent events, that outcome would not be unquestionable, but this..." The sniper mumbled, in an attempt to view the current situation logically. *I understand your confusion, many of the other members of the group were also startled by my ability to communicate. You see, Winston created a device for me that fits around my neck. Like a collar for a dog.* The voice explained in a calming, soothing tone. "That is not all too surprising. Ehh, the startling part, at least. No offence intended, of course. So, how many members of the crew did you 'startle', if I may ask?" *A lot of them.* The sniper and the bird continued back-and-forthing in sceptical and enthusiastic tones, respectively. "And how many is 'a lot'?" *All of them...* The bird remarked hesitantly, almost ashamed of himself. *But I am losing myself in the details. Hello! My name is Ganymede. What is your name, friend?* The bird chirped in a friendly demeanour. "Heh. Well, 'friend', my name is Ana Amari. Ana al'asad (Pleased to meet you), Gannon~..?" *Ganymede.* The creature modestly corrected the sniper. *And it is a pleasure to meet you too!*

*Wait, Amari? I believe I've heard that name before, are you related to Pharah?* Ganymede chirped, in a quizzical tone. Ana, almost frozen still in place, hesitated to answer. *The blue bird suit lady with the explosive weapon and the pretty looking facial deformity underneath her eye?* "Facial deformity? You mean the Eye of Horus?" Ana responded questioningly. *I assume so. You have the same deformity, underneath your left eye. It does look very pretty.* Ganymede commented, his wings flapping rapidly. "Why thank you. And yes, it is known as the Eye of Horus. To my people, it is believed that it belonged to the goddess Wadjet. If you wish, we could discuss this topic in more depth at a later date?" Ana offered, turning her attention to her sniper scope as the battle raged beneath, sending market stalls and carts hurling to the air, shattering golden vases and crushing sandstone bricks. *I would very much like that, thank you.* Ganymede responded politely. *Also, you didn't answer my question.* "I'm sorry, which question?" Ana responded, half focusing on the words she spoke, half focusing on her aim as she fired a biotic healing dart at the wounded hammer-wielding giant below. *Your name. Amari. Are you related to Pharah?* Ganymede repeated as he slowly descended to land on her shoulder. She froze again, frowning before deciding what she should say. *She's not that easy to forget, she always spends all her time with Doctor Mercy.* "She does what, now?" The sniper spurted out, more surprised at the notion than anything. *Yes, the two of them are inseparable. Almost like Bastion and myself, but with more hugging, apparently?* Ganymede commented, almost confusing himself with his own train of thought. "Hmm, I shall keep this in mind. Thank you, Ganymede." *I was unaware this information was so important to you. You are most welcome, I suppose.* Ganymede responded, shuffling along Ana's shoulder so as to allow her to aim. "My daughter's happiness is so very important to me, my friend. The happiness of those closest to me is what truly matters." Ana explained in a dear, soft tone as Ganymede let out a chirp behind her, alerting her to an enemy's attempt at a flanking position.

"So what brought you up here, my friend? You could have chosen to stay with your friend Bastion. Or did you deem it necessary to get to know the old soldier?" Ana queried towards the bird, firmly perched upon her shoulder. *Though I usually perform reconnaissance for Bastion, I find it more helpful to aid snipers, such as yourself or the bow-man Hanzo, with situational awareness. Such as alerting you to the presence of those who would wish to hurt you, flank attempts, potential priority targets, et cetera. Like the man down there in the black cloak.* Ganymede chirped towards the black figure approaching the archway, dual shotguns in hands. *Besides, as much as it pains me to leave his side, I trust the rest of the team to protect Bastion.* Ganymede explained with an amount of energy and enthusiasm almost considered unnecessary. "You really do take a shine to the Omnic, Bastion, don't you?" *He is my everything. He raised me from an egg in a nest to the fully grown creature that I am today. Many have raised the point that I am free and that I am able to go anywhere I choose, but Bastion is my home. More importantly, he is my friend.* Ganymede exclaimed. *That isn't a problem, is it? That I prefer to spend my free time with, how others refer to him as, 'it'?* The bird chirped hesitantly. "You do not have a problem with me, do you?" Ana retorted without batting an eye. *No, I do not.* "Then there is your answer, my friend." She responded as Ganymede let out a cheerful chirp before hovering over Ana's head to land on her other shoulder. *Thank you.* He landed on Ana's other shoulder with a soft pat. "Everyone must find their cause." She claimed with an upward infliction. "I am glad you have already found yours."

Though the day had turned to dusk and the sun began setting behind the dropship, the battle below still raged on. The enemy team began to show signs of wear and tear, their tactics beginning to waver, though still attacked with full force. The heavy-hitters of Ana's party still standing strong together at the fountain across the way, while the more nimble crew members took the fight to the enemy. Ganymede, still awake and buzzing with energy, continued to alert Ana to possible threats while managing to keep the conversation as alive as it was hours ago. The yelling and the battle cries below kept spirits high, along with miscellaneous objects that once littered the battlefield. Within a heartbeat, the radio kicked in, static and interference hindering the signal. Ana raised her left hand to her ear while slowly lowering her weapon and Ganymede took up a seat on her left shoulder. "All support units! All support units, this is Pharah! I'm out of ammo, Mercy is down and they're coming! I'm at the gate and I need immediate assistance! Calling all support units, is anyone there!?" "Pharah, this is Ana. Sit tight, I'm on my way!" Ana responded post-haste. Ganymede followed closely behind as she shot up and scaled down the wall into the unknown depths below. As she bolted underneath the half-collapsed bridge, past the crumbling fountain, towards the gate, the rest of her team continued to hold the point, however difficult Widowmaker was making it for them. Ganymede called out. *Ana! Ana, I know you need my help, but I need to assist Bastion and the rest of the crew.* "I understand. Good luck, my friend. God speed!" Ana exclaimed. *Thank you! For everything!* Ganymede 'yelled' as he flew in the opposite direction, towards Bastion.

"Pharah? Pharah, are you still there?" Ana requested down the radio, demanding a response. "M~.. Mother!? My suit is malfunctioning and Mercy is covered in blood!" Pharah cried out. "Hang in there, I'm right here." Upon reaching the gate, Ana performed a tuck roll to the left and slid into cover where Pharah and Mercy had fallen. "Don't worry, Fareeha, I have this under control. Dr. Ziegler, this might sting." "W~.. What are you doing!? Mother, please, don't shoot her!" Pharah yelled. "Then what do you propose we do!? Wait for her to magic herself back to health?" Ana retorted. A brief moment of pause filled the air with dreaded silence before Pharah uttered the words "Do it..."

Angela gasped for a breath of air and Pharah cradled her for a moment as Ana knelt down next to the two of them. "Liebe..?" "It's alright, Angela... I've got you..." Pharah uttered in an attempt to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. She smirked as she murmured "...on my radar..." before falling unconscious. Before either Mercy or Ana could react, those iconic spurs jingled and jangled behind Ana before a cool breeze brought about a single tumbleweed. Ana stood up slowly, reached for her rifle and turned around to stare down the face of a man she once called a friend.

"Heh heh heh, it's high noon."


End file.
